1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to high technology jewelry, that is, jewelry designed and fabricated employing state of the art technology, including computer-aided design and semiconductor processing techniques.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While jewelry has provided adornment for men and women from time immemorial, most advances in design and fabrication have occurred only slowly. Curiously, only limited success has been made in marrying jewelry fabrication with the science and technology available at that time.
Exemplary of such recent attempts is the so-called diffraction jewelry, developed some years ago, utilizing diffraction gratings previously developed for use in scientific measurements. Such jewelry, e.g., pendants and earrings, is typically circular and diffracts incident light to provide a myriad of rainbow colors in patterns that are pleasing to the eye. Diffraction jewelry, however, is usually formed by embossing the grating in aluminized Mylar supported on a plastic substrate. These replicated gratings lack the precise detail and high quality which could be achieved using state of the art technology available at the present time.